Brenig Report

on Jul 06, 2014. 0 Comments

REPORT WEEK ENDING 6th July.

A week of mostly fine bright weather was enjoyed by all who ventured up into the hills at Llyn Brenig with the only real exception being Friday when the wind picked up, the storm clouds gathered and we had a day that was very much out of character from the weather that we have been experiencing. The wind has been predominantly from the North which seems to have been the general pattern for the last few weeks. Overall we have been blessed with some wonderful weather which has shown the Brenig at its glorious best and when the sun is shining and glinting off the lake like a jewel in a crown and the hills and mountains stretch away into the distance you can imagine yourself sitting by an Italian lake or the piney forests of a Norwegian wonderland. The water temperature at the last reading was 16 degrees C which is a slight drop on last week but probably an ideal temperature for fishing. Indeed the fishing has picked up from last week with the rod average standing at 3.0 fish per angler which is an increase on the previous figure.
The biggest fish this week was caught by Mr. Gordon Farnworth from Crosby who recorded a Rainbow which weighed in at 3 lbs 8 oz and the biggest bag of the week which weighed in at 12 lbs 8 oz was recorded by Mr. Andy Kay from Ruthin.
The Brenig has been extremely busy this week with both fishing and non fishing events. On Friday we had a fantastic day when the UK Challenge almost took over the Brenig as 400 competitors from all across Britain descended onto the lake and competed in canoeing, running and cycling events. Much of the money raised will be going towards the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust. There was some minor disruption to the fishing but it was very nice to see how we can accommodate both the fishermen and other leisure activities at the same time and we hope that this can become a regular feature at the Brenig.
However back to the fishing and to the weekend which saw two competitions taking place. Saturday saw the North Wales heat of the Anglian Water Airflo International. Twelve teams took part with 72 anglers taking to the water in ideal conditions. It was a warm day with a slight breeze and some cloud cover and this resulted in an excellent day of fishing and at the end of the competition 368 fish had been caught with an excellent rod average of 5.1 fish per angler. The team which finished in first place was the Welsh Hawks. They were followed in second place by Llanilar and in third spot came Team Falcon. The best bag of the day went to Mr. Tony Bevan fishing for Llanilar who caught 15 fish for a weight of 30 lbs 4 oz. The best fish was caught by Mr. Alwen Roberts and weighed in at 3 lbs 13 ¼ oz. Our own Mark Evans who runs the fishing shop here at the Brenig and gives invaluable advice to the fishermen was fishing for Desperados and came a very commendable 17th.
On Sunday the youth trials took place for the Welsh Salmon and Trout Angling Association. It is always good to see young people participating and carrying forward the traditions of fly fishing. Unfortunately the fishing did prove difficult and the lake was probably suffering from the previous day’s hard fishing and as a result there were a number of blank catch returns. However the top rod was won by Jake Richards from Pontypridd who caught a total of four fish. Congratulations to all those who took part in both competitions.
I must mention a story, versions of which I have heard twice this week. Another member of our staff, Jack Finney, was fishing down by Watersports Bay when he hooked a really good fish but as he brought it in he could see a swirl of water behind the fish and then suddenly the fish was grabbed by an enormous pike that must have been at least 20 lbs. Not only did the pike take the fish but he kept following Jack along the bank in the hope of another free meal. Talk about super intelligent fish! I think Jack could hear the theme music of Jaws as he nervously made his way back to the safety of his car.
Hot spots have been outside the buoys by the cages, the Dam, Sailing Club Bay and the Ring of Stones.
Top flies have been diawl bach, green fritz, and dries such as shuttlecock.